Vehicles that have the capacity to transport substantial amounts of cargo have experienced consistent consumer demand. Such vehicles typically have a relatively large body opening so that objects which would not fit through the traditional door openings could be loaded into the cargo area. The cargo opening is frequently positioned in the aft-end of the vehicle body, and in many cases the closure design comprises a hinged liftgate for convenient access.
Typically, the liftgate can be hinged at the aft-end along the subject vehicle's roof. This permits the liftgate to swing up and away for loading or unloading cargo. Full articulation of a roof-hinged liftgate, however, requires an open area for liftgate out-swing, i.e. pitching of the liftgate's free end in a rearward direction outside the vehicle boundary. As a consequence, when a roof-hinged liftgate is used to enclose a more upright aft-end vehicle body outline, as is typical with vans and sport utility vehicles (SUVs), a significant amount of free space is needed behind the vehicle in order to accommodate the liftgate's out-swing. Thus, attempting to access the cargo area of a large van or an SUV may be inconvenient in those cases when the vehicle is to be parked with its rear end in close proximity to a garage wall or other barrier.